Balancing a workload based on commitments to projects

ABSTRACT

Balancing a workload based on commitments to projects includes monitoring messages in a collaboration system, the messages representing correspondences between users of the collaboration system, selecting a number of the users associated with the collaboration system to form a group of users, retrieving the messages from each of the users in the group of users, analyzing data associated with the messages to determine which of the messages relate to at least one project, and executing, based on a threshold, at least one action to optimize a workload for at least one user in the group of users for the at least one project.

BACKGROUND

The present invention relates to balancing a workload, and morespecifically, to balancing a workload based on commitments to projects.

A collaboration system includes a number of systems. The collaborationsystem may include systems such as electronic mail (email) systems,instant messaging (IM) systems, and social network systems. Thecollaborative system may further include a collaborative workspace,development tools and/or document authoring tools. The systems of thecollaboration system are used to connect users to information in alogical and organized manner to enable sharing and processing of theinformation between the users in the form of messages. The messages maybe displayed to the users via an inbox, a wall, an activity stream, atimeline, a profile, or other forms.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A method for balancing a workload based on commitments to projectsincludes monitoring messages in a collaboration system, the messagesrepresenting correspondences between users of the collaboration system,selecting a number of the users associated with the collaboration systemto form a group of users, retrieving the messages from each of the usersin the group of users, analyzing data associated with the messages todetermine which of the messages relate to at least one project, andexecuting, based on a threshold, at least one action to optimize aworkload for at least one user in the group of users for the at leastone project.

A system for balancing a workload based on commitments to projectsincludes a monitoring engine to monitor messages in a collaborationsystem, the messages representing correspondences between users of thecollaboration system, a selecting engine to select a number of the usersassociated with the collaboration system to form a group of users, aretrieving engine to retrieve the messages from each of the users in thegroup of users, an analyzing engine to analyze data associated with themessages to determine which of the messages relate to at least oneproject, a cost determining engine to determine a cost for the at leastone project, a commitment determining engine to determine a commitmentfor each of the users in the group of users for the at least oneproject, a calculating engine to calculate a threshold, the thresholdrepresenting a maximum of the commitment that each of the usersspecifies for the at least one project, and an executing engine toexecute, based on the threshold, at least one action to optimize aworkload for at least one user in the group of users for the at leastone project.

A computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium,the computer readable storage medium having computer readable programcode embodied therewith. The computer readable program code havingcomputer readable program code to select a number of users associatedwith a collaboration system to form a group of users, retrieve messagesfrom each of the users in the group of users, analyze data associatedwith the messages to determine which of the messages relate to at leastone project, and execute, based on a threshold, at least one action tooptimize a workload for at least one user in the group of users for theat least one project.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate various examples of the principlesdescribed herein and are a part of the specification. The examples donot limit the scope of the claims.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a system for balancing a workloadbased on commitments to projects, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example of a system for balancing a workloadbased on commitments to projects, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example of a user interface (UI) for selectinga group of users and displaying workloads for the group of users,according to one example of principles described herein.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example of a method for balancing a workloadbased on commitments to projects, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of a method for balancing a workloadbased on commitments to projects, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example of a balancing system, according tothe principles described herein.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an example of a balancing system, according tothe principles described herein.

Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar,but not necessarily identical, elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present specification describes a method and system for balancing aworkload based on commitments to projects, such that an action may beexecuted, based on a threshold, to optimize a workload for at least oneuser in a group of users.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product. The computer program product may include a computerreadable storage medium (or media) having computer readable programinstructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of thepresent invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in anycombination of one or more programming languages, including an objectoriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, andconventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages. The computerreadable program instructions may execute entirely on the user'scomputer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone softwarepackage, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computeror entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario,the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through anytype of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide areanetwork (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer(for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider).In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example,programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), orprogrammable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readableprogram instructions by utilizing state information of the computerreadable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry,in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of theorder noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

As noted above, a collaboration system includes a number of systems. Thecollaboration system may include systems such as electronic mail (email)systems, instant messaging (IM) systems, and social network systems. Thecollaborative system may further include a collaborative workspace,development tools and/or document authoring tools. The systems of thecollaboration system are used to connect users to information in alogical and organized manner to enable sharing and processing of theinformation between the users in the form of messages. A message mayinclude a project in the form of an assignment, source code for theassignment, a document, or communications about the project. Themessages may be displayed to the users via an inbox, a wall, an activitystream, a timeline, a profile, or in other forms. This allows users toshare information with other users and gather information from the otherusers.

Often, users are assigned projects via messages in the systems above.Further, managers oversee that each of the users are completing theprojects. However, managers may assume each project is being worked onby each user until a next project is assigned to each of the users. Theact of assuming each project is being worked on by each user may resultin unbalanced workloads for the users. The unbalanced workloads mayresult in issues such as delays for completing a project. This act canresult in delays for future projects.

The principles described herein include a system and a method forbalancing a workload based on commitments to projects. Such a system andmethod includes monitoring messages in a collaboration system, themessages representing correspondences between users of the collaborationsystem, selecting a number of the users associated with thecollaboration system to form a group of users, retrieving the messagesfrom each of the users in the group of users, analyzing data associatedwith the messages to determine which of the messages relate to at leastone project, and executing, based on a threshold, at least one action tooptimize a workload for at least one user in the group of users for theat least one project. Such a method and system allows an action to beexecuted, based on a threshold, to optimize a workload for at least oneuser in a group of users. As a result, a workload for the user in thegroup of users is rebalanced.

In the specification and appended claims, the term “collaborationsystem” means an email system, a social network system, an IM system, acollaborative development system, a document authoring system, orcombinations thereof. The collaboration system uses inboxes, walls,activity streams, timelines, profiles, or other forms to displaymessages to allow users to send and receive messages.

In the specification and appended claims, the term “group of users”means a number of users associated with a project in a collaborationsystem. The project may be assigned to the group of users. Further, thegroup of user may have the same report to chain, such as all the usersin a group of users report to a specific manager. The group of user maybe selected via a project team list, a distribution list, a custom list,a network list, other lists, or combinations thereof.

In the specification and appended claims, the term “message” means anelectronic correspondence between users of the collaboration system. Amessage may include text, data, images, digital media, source code,documents, or combinations thereof. Further, the messages may be in theform of email, chat, postings, other forms, or combinations thereof.

In the specification and appended claims, the term “project” means agoal that a group of users are to achieve. A project may include anumber of tasks. The tasks may be logical stages used to complete theproject. Further, users may be assigned a project via messages.

In the specification and appended claims, the term “commitment” means apercentage of a user's workload dedicated to a project. A user mayspecify the commitment as a minimum percentage or a maximum percentage.

In the present specification and appended claims, the term “threshold”means a maximum of a commitment a user specifies for a project. Once athreshold is reached, an action is executed to optimize a workloadassociated with the user.

As used in the present specification and appended claims, the term“action” is meant to be broadly understood as a method, routine, orcomputer implemented code that optimizes a workload associated with auser. An action may include rebalancing a workload, redirecting amessage, sending notifications, hiding a message, other actions, orcombinations thereof.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present systems and methods. It will be apparent,however, to one skilled in the art that the present apparatus, systems,and methods may be practiced without these specific details. Referencein the specification to “an example” or similar language means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith that example is included as described, but may not be included inother examples.

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a system for balancing a workloadbased on commitments to projects, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein. As will be described below, a balancing system is incommunication with a network to monitor messages in a collaborationsystem, the messages representing correspondences between users of thecollaboration system. The balancing system further selects a number ofthe users associated with the collaboration system to form a group ofusers. Further, the balancing system retrieves the messages from each ofthe users in the group of users. The balancing system further analyzesdata associated with the messages to determine which of the messagesrelate to at least one project. Further, the balancing system executes,based on a threshold, at least one action to optimize a workload for atleast one user in the group of users for the at least one project.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the system (100) includes a collaborationsystem (112). The collaboration system (112) may include an emailsystem, a social network system, an IM system, or combinations thereof.As will be described in other parts of this specification, thecollaboration system (112) uses inboxes, walls, activity streams,timelines, or profiles to allow users to send and receive messages.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the system (100) includes a balancing system(110). The balancing system (110) monitors messages in a collaborationsystem (112), the messages representing correspondences between users ofthe collaboration system (112). The balancing system (110) may monitorall messages in the collaboration system (112). Alternatively, thebalancing system (110) may monitor specific messages, such as unreadmessages, in the collaboration system (112).

Further, the balancing system (110) selects a number of the usersassociated with the collaboration system (112) to form a group of users.As will be described in FIG. 3, a user interface (UI) may be presentedto a manger to allow a manager to select the users.

The balancing system (110) further retrieves the messages from each ofthe users in the group of users. The messages that the balancing system(110) retrieves may include all the messages associated with the groupof users that the balancing system (110) monitors.

Further, the balancing system (110) analyzes the data associated withthe messages to determine which of the messages relate to at least oneproject. The data of the messages may include owners, senders,recipients, a body for each of the messages, metadata, or combinationsthereof.

The balancing system (110) further executes, based on a threshold, atleast one action to optimize a workload for at least one user in thegroup of users for the at least one project. An executing engine (114)of the balancing system (110) may execute, based on the threshold, theat least one action to optimize the workload for the at least one userin the group of users for the at least one project. Such a system (100)allows an action to be executed, based on a threshold, to optimize theworkload for at least one user in a group of users. As a result, theworkload for the user in the group of users is rebalanced.

While this example has been described with reference to the balancingsystem being operated over the network, the balancing system may bestored and operated locally on a single machine. For example, thebalancing system may be integrated into a user or client device, aserver, a database, other locations, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example of a system for balancing a workloadbased on commitments to projects, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein. As mentioned above, the balancing system is incommunication with a network to monitor messages in a collaborationsystem, the messages representing correspondences between users of thecollaboration system. The balancing system selects a number of the usersassociated with the collaboration system to form a group of users.Further, the balancing system retrieves the messages from each of theusers in the group of users. The balancing system further analyzes dataassociated with the messages to determine which of the messages relateto at least one project. Further, the balancing system executes, basedon a threshold, at least one action to optimize a workload for at leastone user in the group of users for the at least one project.

As illustrated, the system (200) includes a collaboration system (212).As mentioned above, the collaboration system (212) may include a numberof systems. The systems include an email system, a social networksystem, an IM system, or combinations thereof.

The email system includes a number of servers such as mail servers. Themail servers store information for users. The information may bemessages such as email. The messages may include text, data, images,digital media, or combinations thereof.

The social network system is a network based application to enable auser to create a user account. Once the user account is created, theuser establishes connections with other users, such as friends, family,and colleagues in an online environment. Further, once the user isconnected with other users, the user may share information, in the formof messages, with each of the other users on the social network systemby uploading pictures, updating personal information, updating statusinformation, commenting on other user's information, among otheractivities. Further, the social network system may be an asynchronoussocial network or a synchronous social network. An asynchronous socialnetwork is a social network that allows a user to follow activities ofother users. A synchronous social network is a social network thatallows a user to establish connections with other users.

The IM system allows users to send or receive communication over thenetwork (206) in the form of messages. The messages may be real-timetransmission of text from a user to another user.

As illustrated, the collaboration system (212) includes a number ofusers (215). The collaboration system (212) includes user A (215-1),user B (215-2), and user C (215-3). Each of the users (215) hasregistered accounts with systems of the collaboration system (212).

Further, a number of messages (218) may be associated with each of theusers (215). For example, message one (218-1) and message two (218-2)are associated with user A (215-1). Message one (218-1) and messagethree (218-3) are associated with user B (215-2). Message three (218-3),message four (218-4) and message five (218-5) are associated with user C(215-3). Each of the messages (218) may be associated with the emailsystem, the social network system, or the IM system of the collaborationsystem (212).

Further, each of the messages (218) is associated with data (216). Thedata includes an owner. The owner specifies who owns the messages (218)in the collaboration system (212). The owner may be a single user or agroup of users. Further, the data includes a sender. The senderspecifies who sent the messages (218) in the collaboration system (212).The sender may be a single user or a group of users. The data includesrecipients. The recipients specify who received the messages (218) inthe collaboration system (212). The recipients may be a single user or agroup of users. For example, user A (215-1) and user B (215-2) are therecipients of message one (218-1). The data includes a body of themessage. The body of the message includes text, data, images, digitalmedia, or combinations thereof. Further, the data includes othermetadata. The other metadata includes a timestamp of when the message issent by the sender to the recipient. Other metadata may include if themessage is a private message, a confidential message, or a flaggedmessage. Further, the other metadata may include if a message isassociated with the email system, the social network system, or the IMsystem of the collaboration system (212). As illustrated, data X (216)is associated with message one (218-2). Data Y1 (216-2) is associatedwith message two (218-2). Data Y2 (216-3) is associated with messagethree (218-3). Data Z (216-5) is associated with message four (218-4).Further, data Y3 (216-4) is associated with message five (218-5).

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the system (200) includes a balancing system(210). The balancing system (210) may operate during a specific periodof time. For example, the balancing system (210) may operate during aspecific time of day, a specific month, a specific year, or combinationsthereof. The balancing system (210) may reference a specific time framesuch as yesterday, the last week, the last month, the last ninety days,other specific time frames, or combinations thereof. The balancingsystem (210) may operate on post-operative analysis. Further, thebalancing system (210) may operate on specific messages. The specificmessages may include unread messages, flagged messages, other specificmessages, or combinations thereof. The balancing system (210) may beimplemented on a single client device. However, the balancing system(210) may be implemented on a server to access the messages (218).Further, the balancing system (210) may include a number of featuresthat may be accessed by specific users, managers, organizations, orsystems. A policy of the balancing system (210) may determine whichfeatures may be accessed. A feature may include why types of messagesthe balancing system (210) is to monitor and/or retrieve.

Further, the balancing system (210) includes a number of engines (214).The engines (214) refer to a combination of hardware and programinstructions to perform a designated function. Each of the engines (214)may include a processor and memory. The program instructions are storedin the memory and cause the processor to execute the designated functionof the engine. As illustrated, the balancing system (210) includes amonitoring engine (214-1), a selecting engine (214-2), a retrievingengine (214-3), an analyzing engine (214-4), a cost determining engine(214-5), a commitment determining engine (214-6), a calculating engine(214-7), and an executing engine (214-8).

As mentioned above, the system (200) includes a monitoring engine(214-1). The monitoring engine (214-1) monitors messages (218) in acollaboration system (212). The messages (218) represent correspondencesbetween users of the collaboration system (212). In an example, thebalancing system (210) may not monitor specific messages. Specificmessages may include private messages, confidential messages, flaggedmessages, or other specific messages, or combinations thereof. Thesespecific messages may be labeled in a subject line or a header of themessage by a user. Further, these specific messages may be sent from aconfidential folder of the collaboration system (212). As a result, thebalancing system (210) may not monitor specific messages. However, inother examples, the balancing system (210) may monitor all messages.

As mentioned above, the system (200) includes a selecting engine(214-2). The selecting engine (214-2) selects a number of the usersassociated with the collaboration system (212) to form a group of users.The selecting engine (214-2) may select users via a distribution list.The selecting engine (214-2) may select users via a network list. Theselecting engine (214-2) may select users via a custom list. As will bedescribed in FIG. 3, a UI may be presented, via a display (204), to amanager to allow the manager to select the group of users. In anexample, once a manager logs onto the balancing system (210), theselecting engine (214-2) selects a group of users associated with themanager.

As mentioned above, the system (200) includes a retrieving engine(214-3). The retrieving engine (214-3) retrieves the messages (218) fromeach of the users in the group of users. The retrieving engine (214-3)retrieves data (216) from the messages (218). The data (216) includes anowner, a sender, recipients, a body of the message, other metadata, orcombinations thereof.

The retrieving engine (214-3) may retrieve the messages (218) from eachof the users in the group of users based on a time. For example, thespecific time may include a specific year, month, day, hour, minute,second, other times, or combinations thereof. Further, the retrievingengine (214-3) may retrieve the messages from each of the users in thegroup of users based on an event. The event may include a creation of amessage, a planned vacation of a user in the group of users, receiving amessage, other events, or combinations thereof.

As mentioned above, the system (200) includes an analyzing engine(214-4). The analyzing engine (214-4) analyzes data (216) associatedwith the messages (218) to determine which of the messages (218) relateto at least one project. The analyzing engine (214-4) determinesspecific terms related to the at least one project. For example, if theat least one project is named project X and project X is associated withspecific terms tools such as screwdriver, hammer, claw, and other tools,the analyzing engine (214-4) determines the specific terms related toproject X are project X, tool, screwdriver, hammer and claw.

The analyzing engine (214-4) correlates the specific terms in each ofthe messages (218) to create a correlation. For example, the analyzingengine (214-4) correlates project X, screwdriver, hammer, and claw ineach of the messages (218) to create a correlation. In an example, thecorrelation may be symbolic such as high, medium, or low. High indicatesthat the message has a strong correlation with the specific terms.Medium indicates that the message has a medium correlation with thespecific terms. Low indicates that the message has a low correlationwith the specific terms. In another example, the correlation may be ascale such as 0 to 10, where 0 indicates a low correlation and 10indicates a high correlation.

The analyzing engine (214-4) determines, based on the correlation, aconfidence metric, the confidence metric defining how each of themessages relate to the at least one project. In an example, theconfidence metric may be a percentage defining how each of the messagesrelate to the at least one project based on the correlation. If thepercentage is high, such as 90 percent, the confidence metric is used todetermine that the correlation is accurate for the correspondingmessage. If the percentage is low, such as 30 percent, the confidencemetric is used to determine that the correlation is not accurate for thecorresponding message.

The analyzing engine (214-4) may utilize a feedback loop. The feedbackloop may be used to refine a predicted workload based on an actualworkload. For example, the analyzing engine (214-4) may have determinedthat each of the users in the group of users reads a message in apredicted average time of two minutes. As a result, the predictedworkload is two minutes per message. However, the feedback loop mayrefine the predicted workload based on an actual workload. For example,each of the users in the group of users reads a message in an actualaverage time of one and a half minutes. As a result, the feedback loopmay refine the predicted workload such that the predicted workload hasthe users in the group of users reading a message in an average time ofone and a half minutes.

As mentioned above, the system (200) includes a cost determining engine(214-5). The cost determining engine (214-5) determines a cost for theat least one project. The cost determining engine (214-5) determines thecost based on a reading speed of each of the users. For example, if userA (215-1) reading speed is 150 words per minute (WPM) and a message is1,500 words, user A (215-1) reads the message in ten minute. If user A(215-1) works an average of eight hours a day user A (215-1) spends 2.08percent of their day reading the message. As a result, a cost of 2.08percent of user A's workload for the day is determined. In otherexamples, the cost determining engine (214-5) determines the cost forthe at least one project based on a monetary value. For example, if auser A's daily salary is two-hundred twenty dollars, the costdetermining engine (214-5) determines the cost to for user A (215-1) toread the message is four dollars and fifty seven cents.

The cost determining engine (214-5) further determines the cost based onrules. The rules may specify that a message, such as an email, takes anaverage of ten minutes of a user to read. Further, the rules may specifythat a message, such as a chat, takes an average of thirty seconds of auser to read. In other examples, the cost may be project specific.

As mentioned above, the system (200) includes a commitment determiningengine (214-6). The commitment determining engine (214-6) determines acommitment for each of the users in the group of users for the at leastone project. In an example, the commitment determining engine (214-6)determines a commitment for each of the users in the group of users forthe at least one project based on a percentage of the workload. Forexample, if user A (215-1) is committed to project X and project Y, thecommitment determining engine (214-6) determines fifty percent of userA's commitment is for project X and fifty percent of user A's commitmentis for project Y. In other examples, the commitment determining engine(214-6) determines a commitment for each of the users in the group ofusers for the at least one project based on hours. If a user iscommitted to two projects and an average workday for the user is eighthours, four hours may be committed to each project.

Further, the commitment determining engine (214-6) may equallydistribute the commitment to each of the users in the group of users forthe at least one project. For example, if user A (215-1), user B(215-2), and user C (215-3) are committed to project X, the commitmentdetermining engine (214-6) equally distributes the commitment each ofthe users in the group of users for the at least one project. In thisexample, user A's workload is committed to thirty-three percent ofproject X, user B's workload is committed to thirty-three percent ofproject X, and user C's workload is committed to thirty-three percent ofproject X.

As mentioned above, the system (200) includes a calculating engine(214-7). The calculating engine (214-7) calculates the threshold, thethreshold representing a maximum of the commitment that each of theusers specifies for the at least one project. The threshold may be basedon current commitments a user has to other projects. For example, ifuser A (215-1) has fifty percent committed to project X and twenty-fivepercent committed to project Y, user A (215-1) may commit to 25 percentof another project. A commit to more than twenty-five percent of anotherproject may exceed the threshold.

As mentioned above, the system (200) includes an executing engine(214-8). The executing engine (214-8) executes, based on a threshold, atleast one action to optimize a workload for at least one user in thegroup of users for the at least one project.

The executing engine (214-8) executes, based on the threshold, the atleast one action to optimize the workload for the at least one user inthe group of users for the at least one project by optimizing theworkload based on future meetings for each of the users in the group ofusers. For example, if user A (215-1) and user B (215-2) form the groupof users, the executing engine (214-8) may access a system that definesfuture meetings for user A (215-1) and user B (215-2). If user A (215-1)has three future meetings and user B (215-2) has no future meeting, theexecuting engine (214-8) executes an action to optimize the workload foruser A (215-1) and user B (215-2). The action may include redirectingmessages for a specific project user A (215-1) and user B (215-2) areworking on to user B (215-2).

Further, the executing engine (214-8) executes, based on the threshold,the at least one action to optimize the workload for the at least oneuser in the group of users for the at least one project by optimizingthe workload based on calendar for each of the users in the group ofusers. For example, the executing engine (214-8) may access a calendarassociated with user A (215-1) and user B (215-1). The calendar mayindicate that user A (215-1) is going on vacation in the near future. Asa result, user A's workload may be reduced in the near future. Theexecuting engine (214-8) executes an action to optimize the workload foruser A (215-1) and user B (215-2). The action may include redirectingmessages for a specific project user A (215-1) and user B (215-2) areworking on to user B (215-2) while user A (215-1) is on vacation.

Further, the executing engine (214-8) executes, based on the threshold,the at least one action to optimize the workload for the at least oneuser in the group of users for the at least one project by optimizingthe workload based on future deliverables for each of the users in thegroup of users. A deliverable may be a tangible or intangible objectproduced as a result of a task associated with a project. Thedeliverable may be a document, such as a report. In an example, theexecuting engine (214-8) may determine user A (215-1) has a futuredeliverable in one day and user B (215-1) has a future deliverable infive days. Due to the future deliverables, it may be desirable to reduceuser A's workload for a day. The executing engine (214-8) executes anaction to optimize the workload for user A (215-1) and user B (215-2).The action may include redirecting messages for a specific project userA (215-1) and user B (215-2) are working on to user B (215-2) while userA (215-1) is finishing the future deliverable.

The action may be based on a prediction, such as a future event. Forexample, if the executing engine (214-8) detects user A (215-1)reschedules a vacation that might affect user A's commitment to aproject, the executing engine (214-8) may calculate a new commitment foruser A (215-1) with regard to the project. Further, the executing engine(214-8) may inform user A (215-1) of potential issues and mitigationwith regard to the project due to the vacation.

Further, the action may be based on the cost. For example, if a messagecan be reassigned to user A (215-1) or user B (215-2), the executingengine (214-8) may reassign the message to user A (215-1) if user A(215-1) can read the message faster than user B (215-2).

In an example, the at least one action includes reassigning at least oneof the messages to at least one other of the users in the group ofusers. For example, if user A (215-1) and user B (215-2) form the groupof users and a message is sent to user A (215-1). The action may includereassigning the message to user B (215-1). In other examples, the atleast one action includes reassigning at least one of the messages to auser not associated with the group of users. The user not associatedwith the group of users may be qualified to handle the message. Forexample, the action may reassign the message to user C (215-3).

Further, the at least one action includes sending a notification to thegroup of users. The notification may notify the group of users thatrebalancing of the workload for tasks of a project are needed to berebalanced. The notification may notify the group of users that one ofthe user's commitments to another project is impacting the project.

The at least one action includes hiding the at least one of the messagesfrom a user in the group of users. The action may hide a message that isnot relevant to a project the group of users is working on.

Further, the at least one action includes rebalancing the workload tomeet a minimum or a maximum of the threshold by adjusting time spent ontasks of the project for each of the users in the group of users. Forexample, if user A's minimum threshold is twenty percent and the maximumthreshold is fifty percent for tasks of a project, the action may adjusttime spent on the tasks of the project until user A's thresholds aremet. Such a system (200) allows an action to be executed, based on athreshold, to optimize the workload for at least one user in a group ofusers. As a result, the workload for the user in the group of users isrebalanced.

An overall example of the system (200) will now be described. Themonitoring engine (214-1) monitors messages (218) in a collaborationsystem (212). For example, the monitoring engine (214-1) monitors thecreation and delivery of the messages (218).

The selecting engine (214-2) selects a number of the users associatedwith the collaboration system (212) to form a group of users. Theselecting engine (214-2) selects user A (215-1), user B (215-2), anduser C (215-3). As a result, user A (215-1), user B (215-2), and user C(215-3) form the group of users.

The retrieving engine (214-3) retrieves the messages from each of theusers in the group of users. For example, message one (218-1) andmessage two (218-2) are retrieved from user A (215-1). Message one(218-1) and message three (218-3) are retrieved from user B (215-2).Message three (218-3), message four (218-4) and message five (218-5) areretrieved from user C (215-3).

The analyzing engine (214-4) analyzes data (216) associated with themessages (218) to determine which of the messages relate to project X,project Y, and project Z. The analyzing engine (214-4) analyzes the data(216) associated with the messages (218) to determine which of themessages (218) relate to project X, project Y, and project Z bydetermining specific terms related to project X, correlating thespecific terms in each of the messages to create a correlation, anddetermining, based on the correlation, a confidence metric, theconfidence metric defining how each of the messages relate to project X,project Y, and project Z. In this example, message one (218-1) relatesto project X, message two (218-2), message three (218-3) and messagefive (218-5) relate to project Y, and message four (218-4) relates toproject Z.

The cost determining engine (214-5) determines a cost for project X,project Y, and project Z. The cost is based on a reading speed of eachof the users, based on rules, or combinations thereof. The cost may bedetermined as described above.

The commitment determining engine (214-6) determines a commitment foreach of the users in the group of users for project X, project Y andproject Z. In this example, user A's commitment is 50 percent to projectX and 50 percent to project Y. user B's commitment is 50 percent toproject X and 50 percent to project Y. User's C commitment is 100percent to project Y and 50 percent to project Z.

The calculating engine (214-7) calculates the threshold. The thresholdrepresents a maximum of the commitment that each of the users specifyfor project X, project Y and project Z. In this example, the thresholdthat user A (215-1) specifies is 50 percent to project X and 50 percentto project Y. The threshold that user B (215-2) specifies is 50 percentto project X and 50 percent to project Y. The threshold that user C(215-3) specifies is 50 percent to project Y and 50 percent to projectZ.

The executing engine (214-8) executes, based on a threshold, at leastone action to optimize a workload for at least one user in the group ofusers for the project X, project Y and project Z. The executing engine(214-8) determines project Y exceeds the threshold for user C (215-3).In this example, the executing engine (214-8) executes an action to hidemessage three (216-3) from user C (215-3). Such a system (200) allows anaction to be executed, based on a threshold, to optimize the workloadfor at least one user in a group of users. As a result, the workload forthe user in the group of users is rebalanced.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example of UI for selecting a group of usersand displaying workloads for the group of users, according to oneexample of principles described herein. As will be described below, a UIis presented to a manger to allow a manager to select a group of users.Further, the UI displays the workload of each user in the group of usersto the manager.

As illustrated, the UI (304) includes a number of lists (306, 308, 310).Each of the lists (306, 308, 310) correspond to a specific group ofusers. The distribution lists (306) may include distribution list A(306-1) and distribution list B (306-2).

Distribution list A (306-1) may define specific users of a collaborationsystem. If the manager selects distribution list A (306-1) and then aselect button (312), the users associated with distribution list A(306-1) forms the group of users. Distribution list B (306-2) may definespecific users of a collaboration system and differs from distributionlist A (306-1). If the manager selects distribution list B (306-2) andthen the select button (312), the users associated with distributionlist B (306-2) forms the group of users.

Network list A (308-1) may define specific users of a collaborationsystem. If the manager selects network list A (306-2) and then theselect button (312), the users associated with network list A (308-1)forms the group of users. Network list B (308-2) may define specificusers of a collaboration system and differs from network list A (308-1).If the manager selects network list B (308-2) and then the select button(312), the users associated with network list B (308-2) forms the groupof users.

The custom list (310) may allow the manager to select specific users ofa collaboration system. If the manager selects user A (310-1) and thenthe select button (312), user A (310-1) forms the group of users.Similarly, if the manager selects user A (310-1), user B (310-2), anduser C (310-3) and then the select button (312), user A (310-1), user B(310-2), and user C (310-3) forms the group of users. As a result, theUI (304) allows a manager to select a group of users.

While this example has been described with reference to a managerselecting users to form a group of users, other users associated with anorganization may select the users to form the group of users. Forexample, a team leader may select the users, via the UI, to form thegroup of users.

As illustrated, the UI (304) displays, to a manager, the workload (318)for each user (316) in the group of users. In an example, user A(316-1), user B (316-2), and user C (316-3) forms the group of users.User A (316-1) is associated with workload A (318-1). As illustrated,workload A (318-1) indicates 50 percent of user A's workload isdedicated to project X (320-1) and 50 percent is dedicated to project Y(320-2). User B (316-2) is associated with workload B (318-2). Asillustrated, workload B (318-2) indicates 50 percent of user B'sworkload is dedicated to project X (320-3) and 50 percent is dedicatedto project Y (320-3). User C (316-3) is associated with workload C(318-3). As illustrated, workload C (318-3) indicates 100 percent ofuser C's workload is dedicated to project Y (320-5). As a result, themanager is able to visually see that all of the user's workloads are atfull capacity.

While this example, has been described with reference to the group ofuser may be selected via a distribution list, a custom list, a networklist, the group of users may be selected via other lists. For example,the group of users may be selected via a project team list, an expertiselist, other lists, or combinations thereof.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example of a method for balancing a workloadbased on commitments to projects, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein. In one example, the method (400) may be executed bythe balancing system (100) of FIG. 1. In other examples, the method(400) may be executed by other systems (i.e. system 200, system 600, andsystem 700). In this example, the method (400) includes monitoring (401)messages in a collaboration system, the messages representingcorrespondences between users of the collaboration system, selecting(402) a number of the users associated with the collaboration system toform a group of users, retrieving (403) the messages from each of theusers in the group of users, analyzing (404) data associated with themessages to determine which of the messages relate to at least oneproject, and executing (405), based on a threshold, at least one actionto optimize a workload for at least one user in the group of users forthe at least one project.

As mentioned above, the method (400) includes monitoring (401) messagesin a collaboration system, the messages representing correspondencesbetween users of the collaboration system. The method (400) may monitorthe messages in the collaboration system as described above.

As mentioned above, the method (400) includes selecting (402) a numberof the users associated with the collaboration system to form a group ofusers. In an example, a UI may be presented to a manager to allow amanager to select the group of users. The manager may select the groupof users based on a distribution list, a network list, or a custom list.

As mentioned above, the method (400) includes retrieving (403) themessages from each of the users in the group of users. The method (400)may retrieve unread messages from each of the users in the group ofusers. Further, the method (400) may not retrieve private messages,confidential messages, flagged messages, or combinations thereof.

As mentioned above, the method (400) includes analyzing (404) dataassociated with the messages to determine which of the messages relateto at least one project. The method (400) analyzes the data associatedwith the messages by determining which of the messages relate to atleast one project by determining specific terms related to the at leastone project, correlating the specific terms in each of the messages tocreate a correlation, and determining, based on the correlation, aconfidence metric, the confidence metric defining how each of themessages relate to the at least one project.

In some examples, the method (400) utilizes natural language processing(NLP) to analyze the data associated with the messages to determinewhich of the messages relate to the at least one project. The NLP mayderive meaning form the messages via a number of methods and techniques.By deriving meaning from the messages, NLP may be used to determinewhich of the messages relate to the at least one project.

As mentioned above, the method (400) includes executing (405), based ona threshold, at least one action to optimize a workload for at least oneuser in the group of users for the at least one project. The method(400) may optimize the workload based on future meetings for each of theusers in the group of users, a calendar for each of the users in thegroup of users, future deliverables for each of the users in the groupof users, or combinations thereof. Further the at least one actionincludes reassigning at least one of the messages to at least one otherof the users in the group of users, sending a notification to the groupof users, hiding the at least one of the messages from the at least oneuser in the group of users, rebalancing the workload to meet a minimumor a maximum of the threshold by adjusting time spent on tasks of the atleast one project for each of the users in the group of users,combinations thereof.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an example of a method for balancing a workloadbased on commitments to projects, according to one example of principlesdescribed herein. In one example, the method (500) may be executed bythe balancing system (100) of FIG. 1. In other examples, the method(500) may be executed by other systems (i.e. system 200, system 600, andsystem 700). In this example, the method (500) includes monitoring (501)messages in a collaboration system, the messages representingcorrespondences between users of the collaboration system, selecting(502) a number of the users associated with the collaboration system toform a group of users, retrieving (503) the messages from each of theusers in the group of users, analyzing (504) data associated with themessages to determine which of the messages relate to at least oneproject, determining (505) a cost for the at least one project,determining (506) a commitment for each of the users in the group ofusers for the at least one project, calculating (507) the threshold, thethreshold representing a maximum of the commitment that each of theusers specifies for the at least one project, and executing (508), basedon the threshold, at least one action to optimize a workload for atleast one user in the group of users for the at least one project.

As mentioned above, the method (500) includes determining (505) a costfor the at least one project. The cost is based on a reading speed ofeach of the users, based on rules, or combinations thereof.

As mentioned above, the method (500) determining (506) a commitment foreach of the users in the group of users for the at least one project.The commitment may be based on a percentage of the workload.

As mentioned above, the method (500) calculating (507) a threshold, thethreshold representing a maximum of the commitment that each of theusers specifies for the at least one project. The threshold may be aminimum of zero percent and a maximum of one-hundred percent. Further,the threshold may be specific for each of the users in the group ofusers.

FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example of a balancing system, according tothe principles described herein. The balancing system (600) includes amonitoring engine (602), a selecting engine (604), a retrieving engine(606), an analyzing engine (608), and an executing engine (610). In thisexample, the balancing system (600) also includes a cost determiningengine (612), a commitment determining engine (614), and a calculatingengine (616). The engines (602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612, 614, 616) referto a combination of hardware and program instructions to perform adesignated function. Each of the engines (602, 604, 606, 608, 610, 612,614, 616) may include a processor and memory. The program instructionsare stored in the memory and cause the processor to execute thedesignated function of the engine.

The monitoring engine (602) monitors messages in a collaboration system,the messages representing correspondences between users of thecollaboration system. In one example, the monitoring engine (602)monitors all messages in the collaboration system. In another example,the monitoring engine (602) monitors specific messages in thecollaboration system.

The selecting engine (604) selects a number of the users associated withthe collaboration system to form a group of users. The selecting engine(604) presents a UI to allow a manager to select a group of user. Thegroup of users may be selected via a distribution list, a network list,a custom list, or combinations thereof.

The retrieving engine (606) retrieves the messages from each of theusers in the group of users. The retrieving engine (606) may retrieveunread messages from each of the users in the group of user. Theretrieving engine (606) may retrieve flagged messages from each of theusers in the group of user.

The analyzing engine (608) analyzes data associated with the messages todetermine which of the messages relate to at least one project. Theanalyzing engine (608) analyzes data of the messages such as owners,senders, recipients, a body for each of the messages, metadata, orcombinations thereof. The analyzing engine (608) analyzes the dataassociated with the messages to determine which of the messages relateto at least one project by determining specific terms related to the atleast one project, correlating the specific terms in each of themessages to create a correlation, and determining, based on thecorrelation, a confidence metric, the confidence metric defining howeach of the messages relate to the at least one project.

The executing engine (610) executes, based on a threshold, at least oneaction to optimize a workload for at least one user in the group ofusers for the at least one project. The executing engine (610) executes,based on the threshold, the at least one action to optimize the workloadfor the at least one user in the group of users for the at least oneproject by optimizing the workload based on future meetings for each ofthe users in the group of users, a calendar for each of the users in thegroup of users, future deliverables for each of the users in the groupof users, or combinations thereof.

Further, the at least one action includes reassigning at least one ofthe messages to at least one other of the users in the group of users,sending a notification to the group of users, hiding the at least one ofthe messages from a user in the group of users, rebalancing the workloadto meet a minimum or a maximum of the threshold by adjusting time spenton tasks of the project for each of the users in the group of users,combinations thereof.

The cost determining engine (612) determines a cost for the at least oneproject. The cost is based on a reading speed of each of the users,based on rules, or combinations thereof.

The commitment determining engine (614) determines a commitment for eachof the users in the group of users for the at least one project. Thecommitment is based on a percentage of the workload.

The calculating engine (616) calculates the threshold. The thresholdrepresents a maximum of the commitment that each of the users specifiesfor the at least one project.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of an example of a balancing system, according tothe principles described herein. In this example, the balancing system(700) includes processing resources (702) that are in communication withmemory resources (704). Processing resources (702) include at least oneprocessor and other resources used to process programmed instructions.The memory resources (704) represent generally any memory capable ofstoring data such as programmed instructions or data structures used bythe balancing system (700). The programmed instructions shown stored inthe memory resources (704) include a message monitor (706), a groupselector (708), a message retriever (710), a message analyzer (712), acost determiner (714), a commitment determiner (716), a thresholdcalculator (718), and an action executor (720).

The memory resources (704) include a computer readable storage mediumthat contains computer readable program code to cause tasks to beexecuted by the processing resources (702). The computer readablestorage medium may be tangible and/or physical storage medium. Thecomputer readable storage medium may be any appropriate storage mediumthat is not a transmission storage medium. A non-exhaustive list ofcomputer readable storage medium types includes non-volatile memory,volatile memory, random access memory, write only memory, flash memory,electrically erasable program read only memory, or types of memory, orcombinations thereof.

The message monitor (706) represents programmed instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processing resources (702) to monitor messages in acollaboration system, the messages representing correspondences betweenusers of the collaboration system. The group selector (708) representsprogrammed instructions that, when executed, cause the processingresources (702) to select a number of the users associated with thecollaboration system to form a group of users.

The message retriever (710) represents programmed instructions that,when executed, cause the processing resources (702) to retrieve themessages from each of the users in the group of users. The messageanalyzer (712) represents programmed instructions that, when executed,cause the processing resources (702) to analyze data associated with themessages to determine which of the messages relate to at least oneproject.

The cost determiner (714) represents programmed instructions that, whenexecuted, cause the processing resources (702) to determine a cost forthe at least one project. The commitment determiner (716) representsprogrammed instructions that, when executed, cause the processingresources (702) to determine a commitment for each of the users in thegroup of users for the at least one project.

The threshold calculator (718) represents programmed instructions that,when executed, cause the processing resources (702) to calculate athreshold, the threshold representing a maximum of the commitment thateach of the users specifies for the at least one project. The actionexecutor (720) represents programmed instructions that, when executed,cause the processing resources (702) to execute, based on the threshold,at least one action to optimize a workload for at least one user in thegroup of users for the at least one project.

Further, the memory resources (704) may be part of an installationpackage. In response to installing the installation package, theprogrammed instructions of the memory resources (704) may be downloadedfrom the installation package's source, such as a portable medium, aserver, a remote network location, another location, or combinationsthereof. Portable memory media that are compatible with the principlesdescribed herein include DVDs, CDs, flash memory, portable disks,magnetic disks, optical disks, other forms of portable memory, orcombinations thereof. In other examples, the program instructions arealready installed. Here, the memory resources can include integratedmemory such as a hard drive, a solid state hard drive, or the like.

In some examples, the processing resources (702) and the memoryresources (704) are located within the same physical component, such asa server, or a network component. The memory resources (704) may be partof the physical component's main memory, caches, registers, non-volatilememory, or elsewhere in the physical component's memory hierarchy.Alternatively, the memory resources (704) may be in communication withthe processing resources (702) over a network. Further, the datastructures, such as the libraries, may be accessed from a remotelocation over a network connection while the programmed instructions arelocated locally. Thus, balancing system (700) may be implemented on auser device, on a server, on a collection of servers, or combinationsthereof.

The balancing system (700) of FIG. 7 may be part of a general purposecomputer. However, in alternative examples, the balancing system (700)is part of an application specific integrated circuit.

The preceding description has been presented to illustrate and describeexamples of the principles described. This description is not intendedto be exhaustive or to limit these principles to any precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthe above teaching.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operations of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products. In this regard, eachblock in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module,segment, or portion of code, which has a number of executableinstructions for implementing the specific logical function(s). Itshould also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, thefunctions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in thefigures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, beexecuted substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes beexecuted in the reverse order, depending upon the functionalityinvolved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagramsand/or flowchart illustration and combination of blocks in the blockdiagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by specialpurpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions oracts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularexamples, and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, thesingular forms “a,” “an” and “the” are intended to include the pluralforms as well, unless the context clearly indicated otherwise. It willbe further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising”when used in the specification, specify the presence of stated features,integers, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not precludethe presence or addition of a number of other features, integers,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for balancing a workload in respondingto incoming messages regarding a specific project with which a group ofmultiple users is associated, the method comprising, with a serverhaving a network interface for connecting, via a computer network, to anelectronic collaboration system that supports a distributed populationof collaborating users, performing all of: monitoring messages in thecollaboration system; selecting a number of the users associated withthe specific project in the collaboration system to form the group ofmultiple users, wherein the group comprises at least a first user;analyzing data associated with the messages to determine which of themessages relate to the specific project; measuring an amount of timetaken by the first user to process a message related to the specificproject; determining a commitment level for each user in the group ofmultiple users associated with the specific project; determining acommitment level for the first user based on the amount of time taken bythe first user to process the message related to the specific project;and reassigning a message related to the specific project in thecollaboration system from the first user to a different user in thegroup based on a comparison of the commitment levels of the users in thegroup of users associated with the specific project to rebalance theworkload in responding to incoming messages among the group of users. 2.The method of claim 1, further comprising hiding at least one of themessages from at least one user in the group of users based on therelative commitment levels of the user.
 3. The method of claim 1, inwhich the data of the messages comprises owners, senders, recipients, abody for each of the messages, metadata, or combinations thereof.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, in which analyzing the data associated with themessages to determine which of the messages are relate to the specificproject comprises: determining specific terms related to the specificproject; correlating the specific terms in each of the messages tocreate a correlation; and determining, based on the correlation, aconfidence metric indicating a confidence level that each of themessages relate to the specific project.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising determining a cost for the specific project, in whichthe cost is based on a reading speed of each of the users.
 6. The methodof claim 1, wherein determining the commitment level for each of theusers in the group of users for the specific project is based on apercentage of the workload.
 7. The method of claim 1, further comprisingcomparing relative commitment levels of the user based on a maximum of acommitment that each of the users specifies for the at specific project.8. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring further comprisingmonitoring messages in both an email system and a social network system.9. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring further comprisingmonitoring messages in both an email system and an instant messagingsystem.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring does notinclude messages that are flagged or marked as private or confidential.11. The method of claim 1, further comprising quantifying a cost ofhaving the first user process a message.
 12. The method of claim 1,further comprising reassigning a message from the first user to a seconduser who processes messages more quickly than the first user.
 13. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: with the network interface,accessing electronic calendar systems for the users in the group; usinga number of future appointments a first user has in determining acommitment level for the first user; and redirecting a message from thefirst user with more future appointments to a second user with fewerfuture appointments.
 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising: withthe network interface, accessing electronic calendar systems for theusers in the group; using a planned vacation of a first user indetermining a commitment level for the first user; and redirecting amessage from a first user who has a planned vacation to a second user.15. The method of claim 1, further comprising: with the networkinterface, accessing data about future deliverables of each user in thegroup; using a number of future deliverables that a first user has indetermining a commitment level for the first user; and redirecting amessage from a first user with more future deliverables to a second userwith fewer future deliverables.
 16. A method for balancing a workload inresponding to incoming messages regarding a specific project with whicha group of multiple users is associated, the method comprising, with aserver having a network interface for connecting, via a computernetwork, to an electronic collaboration system that supports adistributed population of collaborating users, performing all of:monitoring messages incoming to the group of multiple users, wherein thegroup comprises at least a first user; analyzing data associated withthe messages to determine which of the messages relate to the specificproject; measuring an amount of time taken by the first user to processa message related to the specific project; determining a relativeworkload for each of the users in the group; determining a relativeworkload for the first user based on the amount of time taken by thefirst user to process the message related to the specific project; andexecuting, based on relative workloads, at least one action to optimizea workload for at least one user in the group of users for the specificproject, including reassigning a message related to the project fromfirst user to a second user in the group of users associated with thespecific project; wherein the reassigning comprising reassigning amessage from the first user to the second user when the first user hasmore future meetings scheduled than the second user; wherein thereassigning comprising reassigning a message from the first user to thesecond user when the first user has a planned vacation; and wherein thereassigning comprising reassigning a message from the first user to thesecond user when the first user has more future deliverables than thesecond user.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the monitoring does notinclude messages that are flagged or marked as private or confidential.18. The method of claim 16, further comprising reassigning a messagefrom the first user to a second user who processes messages more quicklythan the first user.